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Excerpted from Andy's journal:
"Kindness is love in action. Why don't we all actively love people this week? :) It could make a big difference for somebody."
I was just thinking about this this afternoon. One of the ladies at the front desk here to whom I gave a rose on Valentine's Day, Carole, was talking to me today. She thanked me again for the flower, and I replied sincerely, "Well, you deserve flowers." And she laughed, rather bitterly, and said, "I hate to tell you you're the only one who thinks that."
That made me kinda sad.
It also confused me a little bit. Carole, Midge, Georgie, and Laurie are the nicest people alive (aside from Sr. Melissa), and they deserve every kindness. So why don't more people treat them kindly? They do so much for the people who live and visit here. Without them, this place would fall apart. Or the residents here could be faced with seeing the same rundown college students behind the desk every day, apathetically waiting until their shifts are over. The ladies are taken for granted and ignored, and that makes me crazy.
So, the point of all this, really, is the same as Andy made. I remember back home at my church, we had "Random Act of Kindness Day," and while I do think that's a great idea, I don't think it's enough.
So I challenge people to engage in an act of kindness every day. Try it for a week. Seek out someone whom you would normally pass right by in your rush to class or work - someone on the dining or janitorial staff, a cashier at the local grocery store - and say hi to them. Make eye contact. Ask about his or her day, not just to ask, but because you genuinely care. And if you don't genuinely care, don't ask. Kindness is love in action, not just empty words.
You might be surprised at how good it makes you feel. And you just might make somebody's day. :-)
"You gave me life and showed me kindness, and in your providence watched over my spirit."
Job 10:12
"Kindness is love in action. Why don't we all actively love people this week? :) It could make a big difference for somebody."
I was just thinking about this this afternoon. One of the ladies at the front desk here to whom I gave a rose on Valentine's Day, Carole, was talking to me today. She thanked me again for the flower, and I replied sincerely, "Well, you deserve flowers." And she laughed, rather bitterly, and said, "I hate to tell you you're the only one who thinks that."
That made me kinda sad.
It also confused me a little bit. Carole, Midge, Georgie, and Laurie are the nicest people alive (aside from Sr. Melissa), and they deserve every kindness. So why don't more people treat them kindly? They do so much for the people who live and visit here. Without them, this place would fall apart. Or the residents here could be faced with seeing the same rundown college students behind the desk every day, apathetically waiting until their shifts are over. The ladies are taken for granted and ignored, and that makes me crazy.
So, the point of all this, really, is the same as Andy made. I remember back home at my church, we had "Random Act of Kindness Day," and while I do think that's a great idea, I don't think it's enough.
So I challenge people to engage in an act of kindness every day. Try it for a week. Seek out someone whom you would normally pass right by in your rush to class or work - someone on the dining or janitorial staff, a cashier at the local grocery store - and say hi to them. Make eye contact. Ask about his or her day, not just to ask, but because you genuinely care. And if you don't genuinely care, don't ask. Kindness is love in action, not just empty words.
You might be surprised at how good it makes you feel. And you just might make somebody's day. :-)
"You gave me life and showed me kindness, and in your providence watched over my spirit."
Job 10:12
